Hosea 6
New King James Version
A Call to Repentance
6 Come,(A) and let us return to the Lord;
For (B)He has torn, but (C)He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will [a]bind us up.
2 (D)After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight.
3 (E)Let us know,
Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.
His going forth is established (F)as the morning;
(G)He will come to us (H)like the rain,
Like the latter and former rain to the earth.
Impenitence of Israel and Judah
4 “O Ephraim, what shall I do to you?
O Judah, what shall I do to you?
For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud,
And like the early dew it goes away.
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets,
I have slain them by (I)the words of My mouth;
And [b]your judgments are like light that goes forth.
6 For I desire (J)mercy[c] and (K)not sacrifice,
And the (L)knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7 “But like [d]men they transgressed the covenant;
There they dealt treacherously with Me.
8 (M)Gilead is a city of evildoers
And [e]defiled with blood.
9 As bands of robbers lie in wait for a man,
So the company of (N)priests (O)murder on the way to Shechem;
Surely they commit (P)lewdness.
10 I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel:
There is the [f]harlotry of Ephraim;
Israel is defiled.
11 Also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed for you,
When I return the captives of My people.
Hosea 6
English Standard Version
Israel and Judah Are Unrepentant
6 “Come, let us (A)return to the Lord;
for (B)he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and (C)he will bind us up.
2 After two days (D)he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
3 (E)Let us know; (F)let us press on to know the Lord;
(G)his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us (H)as the showers,
(I)as the spring rains that water the earth.”
4 What shall I do with you, (J)O (K)Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, O (L)Judah?
Your love is (M)like a morning cloud,
(N)like the dew that goes early away.
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have slain them (O)by the words of my mouth,
and my judgment goes forth as the light.
6 For (P)I desire steadfast love[a] and not sacrifice,
(Q)the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
7 But (R)like Adam they (S)transgressed the covenant;
(T)there they dealt faithlessly with me.
8 (U)Gilead is a city of evildoers,
(V)tracked with blood.
9 As robbers (W)lie in wait for a man,
so the priests band together;
they murder on the way to (X)Shechem;
they commit villainy.
10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing;
(Y)Ephraim's whoredom is there; (Z)Israel is defiled.
When (AC)I restore the fortunes of my people,
Footnotes
- Hosea 6:6 Septuagint mercy
Hosea 7
New King James Version
Israel Has Rebelled Against God
7 “When I would have healed Israel,
Then the iniquity of Ephraim was uncovered,
And the wickedness of Samaria.
For (A)they have committed fraud;
A thief comes in;
A band of robbers [a]takes spoil outside.
2 They [b]do not consider in their hearts
That (B)I remember all their wickedness;
Now their own deeds have surrounded them;
They are before My face.
3 They make a (C)king glad with their wickedness,
And princes (D)with their lies.
4 “They(E) are all adulterers.
Like an oven heated by a baker—
He ceases stirring the fire after kneading the dough,
Until it is leavened.
5 In the day of our king
Princes have made him sick, [c]inflamed with (F)wine;
He stretched out his hand with scoffers.
6 They prepare their heart like an oven,
While they lie in wait;
[d]Their baker sleeps all night;
In the morning it burns like a flaming fire.
7 They are all hot, like an oven,
And have devoured their judges;
All their kings have fallen.
(G)None among them calls upon Me.
8 “Ephraim (H)has mixed himself among the peoples;
Ephraim is a cake unturned.
9 (I)Aliens have devoured his strength,
But he does not know it;
Yes, gray hairs are here and there on him,
Yet he does not know it.
10 And the (J)pride of Israel testifies to his face,
But (K)they do not return to the Lord their God,
Nor seek Him for all this.
Futile Reliance on the Nations
11 “Ephraim(L) also is like a silly dove, without [e]sense—
(M)They call to Egypt,
They go to (N)Assyria.
12 Wherever they go, I will (O)spread My net on them;
I will bring them down like birds of the air;
I will chastise them
(P)According to what their congregation has heard.
13 “Woe to them, for they have fled from Me!
Destruction to them,
Because they have transgressed against Me!
Though (Q)I redeemed them,
Yet they have spoken lies against Me.
14 (R)They did not cry out to Me with their heart
When they wailed upon their beds.
“They [f]assemble together for grain and new (S)wine,
[g]They rebel against Me;
15 Though I disciplined and strengthened their arms,
Yet they devise evil against Me;
16 They return, but not [h]to the Most High;
(T)They are like a treacherous bow.
Their princes shall fall by the sword
For the (U)cursings of their tongue.
This shall be their derision (V)in the land of Egypt.
Footnotes
- Hosea 7:1 plunders
- Hosea 7:2 Lit. do not say to
- Hosea 7:5 Lit. with the heat of
- Hosea 7:6 So with MT, Vg.; Syr., Tg. Their anger; LXX Ephraim
- Hosea 7:11 Lit. heart
- Hosea 7:14 So with MT, Tg.; Vg. thought upon; LXX slashed themselves for (cf. 1 Kin. 18:28)
- Hosea 7:14 So with MT, Syr., Tg.; LXX omits They rebel against Me; Vg. They departed from Me
- Hosea 7:16 Or upward
Hosea 7
English Standard Version
7 (A)when I would heal Israel,
the iniquity of Ephraim is revealed,
and the evil deeds of (B)Samaria,
for (C)they deal falsely;
the thief breaks in,
and the bandits raid outside.
2 But they do not consider
that (D)I remember all their evil.
Now (E)their deeds surround them;
(F)they are before my face.
3 By their evil (G)they make (H)the king glad,
and the princes by their treachery.
4 (I)They are all adulterers;
they are like a heated oven
whose baker ceases to stir the fire,
from the kneading of the dough
until it is leavened.
5 On the day of (J)our king, the princes
became sick with the heat of wine;
he stretched out his hand with mockers.
6 For with hearts like an oven (K)they approach their intrigue;
all night their anger smolders;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot as an oven,
and they devour their rulers.
All (L)their kings (M)have fallen,
and none of them calls upon me.
8 Ephraim (N)mixes himself with the peoples;
Ephraim is a cake not turned.
9 (O)Strangers devour his strength,
and (P)he knows it not;
gray hairs are sprinkled upon him,
and (Q)he knows it not.
10 (R)The pride of Israel testifies to his face;[a]
(S)yet they do not return to the Lord their God,
nor seek him, for all this.
11 Ephraim is like a dove,
(T)silly and without sense,
calling to (U)Egypt, going to (V)Assyria.
12 As they go, (W)I will spread over them my net;
I will bring them down like birds of the heavens;
(X)I will discipline them (Y)according to the report made to their congregation.
13 (Z)Woe to them, for they have strayed from me!
Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me!
(AA)I would redeem them,
but (AB)they speak lies against me.
14 (AC)They do not cry to me from the heart,
but (AD)they wail upon their beds;
for grain and wine they gash themselves;
they rebel against me.
15 Although (AE)I trained and strengthened their arms,
yet they devise evil against me.
16 They (AF)return, but not upward;[b]
they are (AG)like a treacherous bow;
their princes shall fall by the sword
because of (AH)the insolence of their tongue.
This shall be their derision (AI)in the land of Egypt.
Footnotes
- Hosea 7:10 Or in his presence
- Hosea 7:16 Or to the Most High
Hosea 8
New King James Version
The Apostasy of Israel
8 “Set the [a]trumpet to your mouth!
He shall come (A)like an eagle against the house of the Lord,
Because they have transgressed My covenant
And rebelled against My law.
2 (B)Israel will cry to Me,
‘My God, (C)we know You!’
3 Israel has rejected the good;
The enemy will pursue him.
4 “They(D) set up kings, but not by Me;
They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them.
From their silver and gold
They made idols for themselves—
That they might be cut off.
5 Your [b]calf [c]is rejected, O Samaria!
My anger is aroused against them—
(E)How long until they attain to innocence?
6 For from Israel is even this:
A (F)workman made it, and it is not God;
But the calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.
7 “They(G) sow the wind,
And reap the whirlwind.
The stalk has no bud;
It shall never produce meal.
If it should produce,
(H)Aliens would swallow it up.
8 (I)Israel is swallowed up;
Now they are among the Gentiles
(J)Like a vessel in which is no pleasure.
9 For they have gone up to Assyria,
Like (K)a wild donkey alone by itself;
Ephraim (L)has hired lovers.
10 Yes, though they have hired among the nations,
Now (M)I will gather them;
And they shall [d]sorrow a little,
Because of the [e]burden of (N)the king of princes.
11 “Because Ephraim has made many altars for sin,
They have become for him altars for sinning.
12 I have written for him (O)the great things of My law,
But they were considered a strange thing.
13 For the sacrifices of My offerings (P)they sacrifice flesh and eat it,
(Q)But the Lord does not accept them.
(R)Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins.
They shall return to Egypt.
14 “For(S) Israel has forgotten (T)his Maker,
And has built [f]temples;
Judah also has multiplied (U)fortified cities;
But (V)I will send fire upon his cities,
And it shall devour his [g]palaces.”
Footnotes
- Hosea 8:1 ram’s horn, Heb. shophar
- Hosea 8:5 Golden calf image
- Hosea 8:5 Or has rejected you
- Hosea 8:10 Or begin to diminish
- Hosea 8:10 Or oracle or proclamation
- Hosea 8:14 Or palaces
- Hosea 8:14 Or citadels
Hosea 8
English Standard Version
Israel Will Reap the Whirlwind
8 Set (A)the trumpet to your lips!
One (B)like a vulture is over the house of the Lord,
because (C)they have transgressed my covenant
and rebelled against my law.
2 To me they cry,
(D)“My God, we—Israel—know you.”
3 Israel has spurned the good;
the enemy shall pursue him.
4 (E)They made kings, (F)but not through me.
They set up princes, but I knew it not.
With their silver and gold they made idols
for their own destruction.
5 (G)I have[a] spurned your calf, O Samaria.
My anger burns against them.
(H)How long will they be incapable of innocence?
6 For it is from Israel;
a craftsman made it;
it is not God.
(I)The calf of Samaria
(J)shall be broken to pieces.[b]
7 For (K)they sow the wind,
and they shall reap the whirlwind.
The standing grain has no heads;
it shall yield no flour;
if it were to yield,
(L)strangers would devour it.
8 (M)Israel is swallowed up;
already they are among the nations
as (N)a useless vessel.
9 For (O)they have gone up to Assyria,
(P)a wild donkey wandering alone;
Ephraim has hired lovers.
10 Though they hire allies among the nations,
I will soon gather them up.
And (Q)the king and princes (R)shall soon writhe
because of the tribute.
11 Because Ephraim (S)has multiplied altars for sinning,
they have become to him altars for sinning.
12 (T)Were I to write for him my laws by the ten thousands,
they would be regarded as a strange thing.
13 As for my sacrificial offerings,
(U)they sacrifice meat and eat it,
but the Lord does not accept them.
(V)Now he will remember their iniquity
and punish their sins;
(W)they shall return to Egypt.
14 For (X)Israel has forgotten (Y)his Maker
and (Z)built palaces,
and (AA)Judah has multiplied fortified cities;
so (AB)I will send a fire upon his cities,
and it shall devour her strongholds.
Hosea 9
New King James Version
Judgment of Israel’s Sin
9 Do(A) not rejoice, O Israel, with joy like other peoples,
For you have played the harlot against your God.
You have made love for (B)hire on every threshing floor.
2 The threshing floor and the winepress
Shall not feed them,
And the new wine shall fail in her.
3 They shall not dwell in (C)the Lord’s land,
(D)But Ephraim shall return to Egypt,
And (E)shall eat unclean things in Assyria.
4 They shall not offer wine offerings to the Lord,
Nor (F)shall their (G)sacrifices be pleasing to Him.
It shall be like bread of mourners to them;
All who eat it shall be defiled.
For their bread shall be for their own life;
It shall not come into the house of the Lord.
5 What will you do in the appointed day,
And in the day of the feast of the Lord?
6 For indeed they are gone because of destruction.
Egypt shall gather them up;
Memphis shall bury them.
(H)Nettles shall possess their valuables of silver;
Thorns shall be in their tents.
7 The (I)days of punishment have come;
The days of recompense have come.
Israel knows!
The prophet is a (J)fool,
(K)The spiritual man is insane,
Because of the greatness of your iniquity and great enmity.
8 The (L)watchman of Ephraim is with my God;
But the prophet is a [a]fowler’s snare in all his ways—
Enmity in the house of his God.
9 (M)They are deeply corrupted,
As in the days of (N)Gibeah.
He will remember their iniquity;
He will punish their sins.
10 “I found Israel
Like grapes in the (O)wilderness;
I saw your fathers
As the (P)firstfruits on the fig tree in its first season.
But they went to (Q)Baal Peor,
And [b]separated themselves to that shame;
(R)They became an abomination like the thing they loved.
11 As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird—
No birth, no pregnancy, and no conception!
12 Though they bring up their children,
Yet I will bereave them to the last man.
Yes, (S)woe to them when I depart from them!
13 Just (T)as I saw Ephraim like Tyre, planted in a pleasant place,
So Ephraim will bring out his children to the murderer.”
14 Give them, O Lord—
What will You give?
Give them (U)a miscarrying womb
And dry breasts!
15 “All their wickedness is in (V)Gilgal,
For there I hated them.
Because of the evil of their deeds
I will drive them from My house;
I will love them no more.
(W)All their princes are rebellious.
16 Ephraim is (X)stricken,
Their root is dried up;
They shall bear no fruit.
Yes, were they to bear children,
I would kill the darlings of their womb.”
17 My God will (Y)cast them away,
Because they did not obey Him;
And they shall be (Z)wanderers among the nations.
Footnotes
- Hosea 9:8 One who catches birds in a trap or snare
- Hosea 9:10 Or dedicated
Hosea 9
English Standard Version
The Lord Will Punish Israel
9 Rejoice not, O Israel!
Exult not like the peoples;
(A)for you have played the whore, forsaking your God.
(B)You have loved a prostitute's wages
on all threshing floors.
2 (C)Threshing floor and wine vat shall not feed them,
and (D)the new wine shall fail them.
3 They shall not remain in (E)the land of the Lord,
but (F)Ephraim shall return to Egypt,
and (G)they shall eat unclean food in Assyria.
4 (H)They shall not pour drink offerings of wine to the Lord,
(I)and their sacrifices shall not please him.
It shall be like (J)mourners' bread to them;
all who eat of it shall be defiled;
for their bread shall be for their hunger only;
(K)it shall not come to the house of the Lord.
5 (L)What will you do on the day of the appointed festival,
and on the day of the feast of the Lord?
6 For behold, they are going away from destruction;
but (M)Egypt shall gather them;
Memphis shall bury them.
Nettles shall possess (N)their precious things of silver;
(O)thorns shall be in their tents.
7 (P)The days of punishment have come;
the days of recompense have come;
Israel shall know it.
(Q)The prophet is a fool;
the man of the spirit is mad,
because of your great iniquity
and great hatred.
8 The prophet is (R)the watchman of Ephraim with my God;
yet (S)a fowler's snare is on all his ways,
and hatred in the house of his God.
9 (T)They have deeply corrupted themselves
as (U)in the days of Gibeah:
(V)he will remember their iniquity;
he will punish their sins.
10 Like grapes in the wilderness,
(W)I found Israel.
Like the first fruit on the fig tree
in its first season,
I saw your fathers.
But (X)they came to Baal-peor
and (Y)consecrated themselves to the thing of shame,
and (Z)became detestable like the thing they loved.
11 Ephraim's (AA)glory shall fly away like a bird—
(AB)no birth, no pregnancy, no conception!
12 (AC)Even if they bring up children,
I will bereave them till none is left.
(AD)Woe to them
when (AE)I depart from them!
13 Ephraim, (AF)as I have seen, was like a young palm[a] planted in a meadow;
but (AG)Ephraim must lead his children out to slaughter.[b]
14 Give them, O Lord—
what will you give?
Give them (AH)a miscarrying womb
and dry breasts.
15 Every evil of theirs is in (AI)Gilgal;
there I began to hate them.
Because of the wickedness of their deeds
I will drive them out of my house.
I will love them no more;
all (AJ)their princes are (AK)rebels.
16 Ephraim is stricken;
(AL)their root is dried up;
they shall bear no fruit.
Even (AM)though they give birth,
(AN)I will put their beloved children to death.
17 (AO)My God will reject them
because they have not listened to him;
(AP)they shall be wanderers among the nations.
Footnotes
- Hosea 9:13 Or like Tyre
- Hosea 9:13 Hebrew to him who slaughters
Hosea 10
New King James Version
Israel’s Sin and Captivity
10 Israel (A)empties his vine;
He brings forth fruit for himself.
According to the multitude of his fruit
(B)He has increased the altars;
According to the bounty of his land
They have embellished his sacred pillars.
2 Their heart is (C)divided;[a]
Now they are held guilty.
He will break down their altars;
He will ruin their sacred pillars.
3 For now they say,
“We have no king,
Because we did not fear the Lord.
And as for a king, what would he do for us?”
4 They have spoken words,
Swearing falsely in making a covenant.
Thus judgment springs up (D)like hemlock in the furrows of the field.
5 The inhabitants of Samaria fear
Because of the (E)calf[b] of Beth Aven.
For its people mourn for it,
And [c]its priests shriek for it—
Because its (F)glory has departed from it.
6 The idol also shall be carried to Assyria
As a present for King (G)Jareb.
Ephraim shall receive shame,
And Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.
7 As for Samaria, her king is cut off
Like a twig on the water.
8 Also the (H)high places of [d]Aven, (I)the sin of Israel,
Shall be destroyed.
The thorn and thistle shall grow on their altars;
(J)They shall say to the mountains, “Cover us!”
And to the hills, “Fall on us!”
9 “O Israel, you have sinned from the days of (K)Gibeah;
There they stood.
The (L)battle in Gibeah against the children of [e]iniquity
Did not [f]overtake them.
10 When it is My desire, I will chasten them.
(M)Peoples shall be gathered against them
When I bind them [g]for their two transgressions.
11 Ephraim is (N)a trained heifer
That loves to thresh grain;
But I harnessed her fair neck,
I will make Ephraim [h]pull a plow.
Judah shall plow;
Jacob shall break his clods.”
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness;
Reap in mercy;
(O)Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the Lord,
Till He (P)comes and rains righteousness on you.
13 (Q)You have plowed wickedness;
You have reaped iniquity.
You have eaten the fruit of lies,
Because you trusted in your own way,
In the multitude of your mighty men.
14 Therefore tumult shall arise among your people,
And all your fortresses shall be plundered
As Shalman plundered Beth Arbel in the day of battle—
A mother dashed in pieces upon her children.
15 Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel,
Because of your great wickedness.
At dawn the king of Israel
Shall be cut off utterly.
Footnotes
- Hosea 10:2 Divided in loyalty
- Hosea 10:5 Lit. calves, images
- Hosea 10:5 idolatrous priests
- Hosea 10:8 Lit. Idolatry or Wickedness
- Hosea 10:9 So with many Heb. mss., LXX, Vg.; MT unruliness
- Hosea 10:9 Or overcome
- Hosea 10:10 Or in their two habitations
- Hosea 10:11 Lit. to ride
Hosea 10
English Standard Version
10 (A)Israel is a luxuriant vine
that yields its fruit.
The more his fruit increased,
(B)the more altars he built;
as his country improved,
he improved his pillars.
2 Their heart is false;
now they must bear their guilt.
The Lord[a] will break down their altars
and destroy their pillars.
3 For now they will say:
(C)“We have no king,
for we do not fear the Lord;
and a king—what could he do for us?”
4 They utter (D)mere words;
with empty[b] oaths they make covenants;
so (E)judgment springs up like poisonous weeds
(F)in the furrows of the field.
5 The inhabitants of Samaria tremble
for (G)the calf[c] of (H)Beth-aven.
Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests—
those who rejoiced over it and (I)over its glory—
for it has departed[d] from them.
6 (J)The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria
as tribute to (K)the great king.[e]
Ephraim shall be put to shame,
and Israel shall be ashamed (L)of his idol.[f]
7 (M)Samaria's king shall perish
like a twig on the face of the waters.
8 The high places of (N)Aven, (O)the sin of Israel,
shall be destroyed.
(P)Thorn and thistle shall grow up
on their altars,
and (Q)they shall say to the mountains, “Cover us,”
and to the hills, “Fall on us.”
9 From (R)the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel;
there they have continued.
Shall not the war against the unjust[g] overtake them in Gibeah?
10 (S)When I please, (T)I will discipline them,
and nations shall be gathered against them
when they are bound up for (U)their double iniquity.
11 Ephraim was a trained calf
that (V)loved to thresh,
and I spared her fair neck;
but I will put (W)Ephraim to the yoke;
(X)Judah must plow;
Jacob must harrow for himself.
12 (Y)Sow for yourselves righteousness;
reap steadfast love;
(Z)break up your fallow ground,
for it is the time to seek the Lord,
that he may come and (AA)rain righteousness upon you.
13 (AB)You have plowed iniquity;
you have reaped injustice;
you have eaten the fruit of lies.
Because you have trusted in your own way
and in the multitude of your warriors,
14 therefore (AC)the tumult of war shall arise among your people,
and all your fortresses shall be destroyed,
as (AD)Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle;
(AE)mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.
15 Thus it shall be done to you, O (AF)Bethel,
because of your great evil.
At dawn (AG)the king of Israel
shall be utterly cut off.
Footnotes
- Hosea 10:2 Hebrew He
- Hosea 10:4 Or vain (see Exodus 20:7)
- Hosea 10:5 Or calves
- Hosea 10:5 Or has gone into exile
- Hosea 10:6 Or to King Jareb
- Hosea 10:6 Or counsel
- Hosea 10:9 Hebrew the children of injustice
Psalm 123
New King James Version
Prayer for Relief from Contempt
A Song of Ascents.
123 Unto You (A)I lift up my eyes,
O You (B)who dwell in the heavens.
2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
(C)So our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He has mercy on us.
3 Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us!
For we are exceedingly filled with contempt.
4 Our soul is exceedingly filled
With the scorn of those who are at ease,
With the contempt of the proud.
Psalm 123
English Standard Version
Our Eyes Look to the Lord Our God
A Song of (A)Ascents.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
